Unfinished white oak wood is a fairly light gray, with dark waves throughout. For this reason, the tree is called the white oak. It is a massive and striking tree, common throughout much of the Eastern US. So let's look more into this tree and what it can teach us.
Physical Description and Characteristics
This tree is massive, growing as tall as 145 feet. The average height is about 100 feet and it can be as wide as it is tall. However, ones that grow farther up north in the colder climates may not grow any larger than shrubs. Though they usually grow to be 200-300 years old, some can live up to 600 years old.
Fun fact: Oak trees are very important to the survival of wildlife due to the acorns that they drop. The acorns of the white oak are less bitter and smaller than regular acorns, but they are still a vital food source for deer, rabbits, squirrels, jays, pheasants, and woodpeckers.
Newly growing leaves of this tree are a silvery pink color that turns green over time. They can be 8 inches long and 5 inches wide, having a glossy green sheen on the top. The bark is a light gray that somewhat peels, but is also very sturdy. Removing bark from this tree would take a lot of work.
Habitat and Location
This tree is found all throughout the Eastern United States. It can be found as far north as Ontario, Quebec, and Maine, all the way down to the tip of Florida. From the shorelines of the Atlantic Ocean in the east all the way to Texas in the West.
They are highly adaptable, able to be found in ridges and valleys, dry or moist environments, and in both acidic as well as alkaline soils.
They are considered to be of Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List.
Learn more about it by watching the video below: